Celebrity Death Thread

[Drew]

Man, sorry to hear. Way too young. RIP Shawn.

[Malto Marko]

RIP Shawny.

Your quick wit and jokemanship will be remembered by this fan.

[DanO]

RIP, Shawn. Much to young.

Speaking of deaths I want to throw out a RIP to a friend and classmate ( https://www.facebook.com/dean.krieg) who passed away this past Saturday. He lived in Costa Rica. Owned his own business of renting four wheelers and 4X4's to tourists. He was in a car accident. That's all I knew until today when I heard he rolled the vehicle into a lake or river and was trapped inside. May have been unconscious.

This is him doing karaoke.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6_-QjtEsvQ"]Dean Krieg Singing Can You Feel the Love Tonight - YouTube[/ame]

[YT]

Sorry to hear that Dano. My condolences.

[DanO]

Thanks YT.

[Tony G]

Hall of Famer, NFL funny man Art Donovan dies at 88

AP 10:56 p.m. EDT August 4, 2013


(Photo: Gail Burton, AP)
Story Highlights

• Donovan was a force for the Baltimore Colts, helping the team win NFL championships in 1958 and '59
• Donovan was a great storyteller and made a living on the talk-show circuit after his playing career

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BALTIMORE (AP) — Art Donovan, the lineman whose hilarious stories about his football career enabled him to maintain his popularity long after his election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died Sunday night. He was 88.
Donovan died at 7:20 p.m. at Stella Maris Hospice in Baltimore, according to Kevin Byrne, senior vice president of public and community relations for the Baltimore Ravens.
FTW: Looking back at Donovan on late-night TV
Donovan made a name for himself as a feisty defensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts, helping the team to world championships in 1958 and 1959. He also spent single seasons with the New York Yanks and Dallas Texans in a career that lasted from 1950 through 1961.
"We lost a friend, one of the finest men and one of the greatest characters we were fortunate to meet in this community and in this business," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said. "Baltimore is now without one of its best and someone who was a foundation for the tremendous popularity of football in our area. The world is not as bright tonight because we lost someone who could make us all smile."
Voted into the Hall of Fame in 1968, Donovan was an outstanding lineman and an even better storyteller. Long after his career was over, Donovan made a living on the talk-show circuit, weaving yarns about the NFL's good old days — as he put it, "When men were, well, men."
Art Donovan, defensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts, on July 19, 1961 in Westminister, Maryland. Donovan died Sunday at the age of 88.(Photo: AP)
Donovan was much like Bob Uecker, who also became popular on late-night talk shows through his stories about sports. But Uecker's game was baseball, and his schtick dealt with his limited abilities. Donovan performed on the football field as well as anyone at his position, even though he once said the only weight he ever lifted was a beer can.
"Some of the greatest football ever played by a defensive tackle was played by Art Donovan," said Hall of Fame center Jim Ringo, who died in 2007. "He was one of the greatest people I played against all my life."
Donovan played in the 1958 championship game between the Colts and New York Giants, a contest that was decided in overtime and ultimately tabbed by some football historians as "The Greatest Game Ever Played." The winner's share was $4,700; the most Donovan ever earned in one season was $22,000.
WATCH: Art Donovan on David Letterman
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But Donovan got a million dollars' worth of memories and more than enough material for storytelling. Once, he filled a hotel shower stall with water and went for a dip. Things went swimmingly until the shower door burst open, flooding his room and the one below it.
Donovan had a thousand more stories like that, many of which were chronicled in his autobiography, appropriately titled, Fatso. Donovan liked to say he was a light eater — "When it got light, I started eating."
He was hardly particular about what he ate (or drank), which could explain why he spent much of his life hovering around 300 pounds, although the playing weight of the 6-foot-3 Donovan was listed at 265.
"I've never been a gourmet eater," he wrote. "Kosher hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pizza, baloney, and a couple of cases of Schlitz are all I'd need on a desert isle."
Donovan's father was Arthur J. Donovan Sr., arguably the most famous fight referee of all time. The elder Donovan was the third man in the ring at 19 of Joe Louis' title fights and some 150 championship bouts in all.
When the younger Donovan grew up and left the tough New York neighborhood of his youth, he fought in World War II and played college football at Notre Dame and Boston College. While he was on the football field, he would just as soon step on a guy's hand than shake it.
Off the field, however, he was nothing more than a big teddy bear.
The late John Steadman, a sportswriter for The (Baltimore) Sun who covered the Colts in their glory years, once said, "Art is a tremendous example for everyone, a wonderful Santa Claus-type individual."
Indeed, Donovan often played the role of Saint Nick at the team's annual Christmas party. His good cheer was no act.
"Wherever Artie goes, people always crowd around him and he makes them laugh," former Colt Dick Syzmanski once said. "Isn't that a gift?"
Donovan broke into professional football in 1950 with the Colts, who folded after his rookie season. He played with the Yanks in 1951 and Texans in 1952 before the Dallas franchise moved to Baltimore and became the second version of the Colts.

[DanO]

RIP Art.

[Drew]

Used to like listening to Art and that one dude with the glasses and the jacked-up fingers shooting every which way.

[Malto Marko]

Hmmmmm.

I am too young to remember him, but RIP.

[Drew]

Say what? I don't remember him playing. I remember him telling stories about the old days. He was telling his stories in the 80s. So was the dude with the fingers that were bent unnaturally.

[Tony G]

[ame]http://youtu.be/7HDRLnoAY9E[/ame]

[CGVT]

You beat me to it, Tony.

I was looking for the Bobby Lane story. It's a 3:53

[Marko69]

RIP to everyone mentioned recently......., especially to your old buddy, DanO.

I was reading your words and I said out loud, "aw man, that is so sad"......, the wife asked what I was talking about......, i told her and then we both watched the clip. She started that waving her hands thing in front of her face while holding back the tears. Nearly got me started as well.

RIP Dean

[Drew]

Great clip!

[-Deborah-]

Great clip!

Yes it is!! haha @ Bobby Layne's breath.